Apparatus for operating fare-registers



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

R. O. BELLES. APPARATUS FOR OPERATING FARE REGISTERS.

(No Model.)

No. 438,908. Patented Oct. 21, 1890.

INVENT R I 0 WITNESSES ,v l44q 7 me new: PETERS co., mowmma, mmmarou, n c.

[No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

R. O. BELLES. APPARATUS FOR OPERATING FARE REGISTERS.

No. 438,908. Patented Oct. 21, 1890.

/1 I: 7 a g l L: r --/-l (I) j \i 1% an a WITNESSES: INVE/VTO a. W. @M W m UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

REUBEN O. BELLES, OF ALLEGHENY, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR OPERATING FARE-REGISTERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 438,908, dated October 21, 1890.

Application filed ay 1, 1890. Serial No. 350,251. (No model.)

To all whom it 11mg concern.-

Be it known that I, REUBEN O. BELLES, of

Allegheny, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Operating Fare-Registers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in Which- Figure 1 shows in vertical longitudinal section a street-car provided with .my improvement. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section on the line II II of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the operating mechanism shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a front elevation of Fig. 3, shown partly in section.

Like symbols of reference indicate like parts in each.

lVIy invention relates to means for operating fare-registers such as are now commonly used on street-cars, &c.; and its object is to provide means for preventing the wrong working of the register which now frequently occurs through malicious intent or by reason of mistake of the fare-register cord for the bell-cord by which the signals to the car-driver are given. Hitherto, although attempts have been made to prevent this evil, the devices employed have been defective by reason of their complication and inconvenience.

In the drawings, 2 represents the usual fareregister. To operate it I employ a rotatory shaft 3,which is supported in suitable bearings in the car, and at its end is provided with a drum or crank operatively connected with the register. For convenience sake, I prefer to make the usual strap-supporting rod 4 hollow and to arrange the shaft 3 within it. At intervals along the rod 4 I provide brackets 5, at which the inclosing-rod 4 is separated, as shown in Fig. 4, and from the shaft 3 levers 6, fixed to the shaft, project through slots in the brackets. Each of the brackets has a guide '7, preferably made in tubular form and set in line with the lever 6. It is desirable for purposes of construction that each of the brackets should be made of two parts adapted to be screwed together, as shown in Fig. 3.

To operate the fare-register, the conductor inserts into one of the guides 7 a short rod 8, so that its end shall engage the lever 6, and presses thereon to move the lever and to turn the shaft 3. This operation is indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3. The rod 8 may be carried in the hand of the conductor, and by arranging a number of brackets in the car, fares may be registered as they are taken wherever the conductor may then be.

Instead of using a detachable push-rod for operating the register, there may be a separate per1nanently-arranged push-rod for each bracket, though this is not so desirable, because when the push-rod is removed it prevents the possibility of operating the mechanism by malicious persons.

It will be understood that the forms and details of construction of the parts of the apparatus may be varied in divers ways. For example, the shaft 3 need not be arranged inside the strap-rod and the guide may be otherwise constructed.

The advantages of my improvement will be appreciated by those skilled .in the art.

The device is simple and cheap in construction, it is easy to operate, and forms an eifective means of preventing the mischief which has been so long felt in mechanism such as now employed.

I claim 1. In apparatus for operating fare-registers, the combination, with a rotatory shaft eX- tending through the car and having projecting levers or crank-arms, of push-rods by which the shaft may be turned, and guides directing the push-rods to the levers or arms, substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. In apparatus for operating fare-registers, the combination, with a rotatory shaft extending through the car and having projecting levers or crank-arms, of a detachable push-rod and push-rod guides directed toward the levers or crank-arms, substantially as and for the purposes described.

3. In apparatus for operating fare-regisets, substantially as and for the purposes deters, the combination of a hollow rod extendscribed. ing along the car, a rotatory shaft extending In testimony whereof I have hereunto set through the rod and connected with the faremy hand this 26th day of April, A. D. 1890. 5 register mechanism, brackets supporting the REUBEN O. BELLES.

rod at intervals throughout its length, and Witnesses:

levers or crank-arms fixed to the shaft and W. B. CORWIN, projecting from the hollow rod at said brack- THOMAS W. BAKEWELL. 

